Lawmakers urge GAO review of employee morale

Mar. 28, 2014 - 07:00AM
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Rep. Gerry Connolly, D.-Va., is one of three lawmakers who asked GAO to examine federal employee morale. ()

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The Government Accountability Office should study ways to improve the state of the federal workforce, Democratic lawmakers said in a March 27 letter.

Reps. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., and Gerry Connolly, D-Va., wrote that the GAO should examine recruitment and retention, performance, productivity and morale and come up with suggestions and best practices on how to improve it.

“They have endured a three-year pay freeze, unpaid furloughs, and a government shutdown. Stakeholders, including federal employee organizations, have noted that federal workers have become increasingly dissatisfied with their employment, and that this may be compromising the federal government’s ability to serve the American people,” they said in the letter.

The lawmakers want GAO to study recent surveys of federal employees and determine the underlying causes of flagging morale, and how agencies use those surveys to improve performance.